Kid On The Streets
by Warrior of Camelot
Summary: A man walking the streets at night finds a kid huddled in the alley way... what does he do? Father!Gwaine Rated T for later warning about cutting and suicidal thoughts later in the series... don't read if you think any sort or mention in the series might trigger you! it may not be in the story exactly but there will be mentions if it later on and maybe even some actual cutting...
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hey Guys! Im back with more writing! This story kinda links in with our other series on FanOfRandomThings profile so go check out our Cuilén story over there... with that enjoy and please review!

MMM

"Hey Merls, I'm home!" Gwaine stomped in the front door at one in the morning only to have his younger cousin run up to him and hush him quickly.

"What is it?" He asked

"Some people, like our younger cousin, need to sleep! And besides, I have a test at the end of the week, I need to study! Just because you go around wasting the days away and coming home past midnight doesn't mean it needs to rub off on your family," Merlin sighed, flipping his text book closed with a yawn.

"Calm down Merls, I'll quiet down. You should go to sleep, you look like you need it." Gwaine said, holding out his hands at first then wrapping his cousin in a hug. "You okay?"

"Ugh, go take a shower, you smell like beer." Merlin replied pushing Gwaine away. "And yes, I'm fine, just a bit tired. I'm off to bed since I doubt I'll get any good study time in now."

"I know it's hard Merls, but you'll get through it," Gwaine assured his cousin, gently rubbing the boy's shoulders.

"You have no idea, you never went to Uni!" Merlin shot back pulling away. "Instead you went off to get your job at Bobby's Bar or whatever it's called."

"Please calm down Merls..." Gwaine stepped back, hands up once more. "I didn't do what you are doing but I know it's hard."

"I'm sorry," Merlin sighed, stepping away. "I think I just studied too long. I'm off to bed, okay? Shower and then you too. Don't wake Cuilén."

"I'll do my best." Gwaine promised. "He is a light sleeper you know."

"Whatever, just do your best," Merlin sighed before stamping off to his room, heading down the hall to the right and into the second door. He grabbed his textbook from the table on the way.

Gwaine headed off to his room, down the hall to the right as well, reminiscing on the past few years. It was several years ago now that Gwaine's younger cousin Cuilén had become an orphan and moved in with him. This year he was a freshmen in high school, close to how Merlin was a sophomore in college.

Merlin was not an orphan, but his mother lived far off in the country while Gwaine's flat was rather close to his university in Manchester. He planned to become a physician of some sort and sometimes downed on Gwaine's choice to work in the pub on the other side of town. Still, Gwaine was fine with his choice and had been for the past four years.

Gwaine was about to walk into the bathroom, down the hall to the left, when a soft voice called his name.

"Gwaine? Is that you?" The voice came from the bedroom opposite the bathroom, the door cracked slightly open.

"Hey buddy," Gwaine pushed open the door softly, his voice a whisper. "You should be sleeping."

"What were you and Merlin talking about? It was loud, did he yell at you?" Cuilén sat up and scooted over on his bed, parties g the covers to get his cousin to come sit down.

"Hey don't worry about it, okay?" Gwaine came over to sit at the edge of Cuilén's bed. Cuilén was a gentle boy, easily upset by arguments and drama, so Gwaine simply offered him a smile.

"Merlin was just tired from studying. You know how much he cares about those final big tests in Gaius' class. Says they're boring, hard, and horrible, remember?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah." Cuilén yawned and rubbed at his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Just a little past one, it's time you got some sleep, don't you think?" Gwaine gently pulled some more covers up for Cuilén. "It's chilly tonight, these'll help you sleep, okay? You okay buddy?"

Cuilén laid down once more and reached out to grasp Gwaine's hand as it pulled the blankets up. "I'm okay, I guess." He said. "I was worried you and Merlin were fighting."

"Nah, it's okay, we weren't," Gwaine promised. "You have a good day today?"

"Yesterday you mean? 'Cause you get home... Tomorrow? I dunno, my day was good, why do you get home so late? You never are here for dinner and you sleep through breakfast," Cuilén wondered and he held onto Gwaine's hand and played with his fingers, pulling them further apart and then pushing them together.

"I have a late job, remember? I have to serve people stuff at a… Sort of restaurant, okay? it has late hours. I'm sometimes awake for breakfast, right?" Gwaine asked, smiling at Cuilén's antics. "Anyway, I'm glad you had a good day. Classes okay? Those boys didn't bother you again? Cause if they did-"

"No, school was okay," Cuilén gripped Gwaine's hand tighter, not wanting his cousin to be upset. "I don't like math though..."

"Yeah, I always hated math too. PE, now that was the class for me! Well, I'd better be getting off for my shower, okay? And it's time you slept or Merlin'll have my head in the morning. Besides, you've got school tomorrow." Gwaine gently tried to pull his fingers loose.

"No, I don't actually." Cuilén said, not letting go of Gwaine, but readjusting his grip to get a better hold. "Meeting for the teachers."

"Oh, well you should sleep anyway, buddy! Unless… You want to hear more of that book your English class is meant to read?" Gwaine glanced to the book that was sitting on the ledge of Cuilén's window.

"Would you read to me? Please?" Cuilén sat up excitedly. "I can stay awake until you take your shower. You only take a minute or two."

"We'll see if you're still awake," Gwaine nodded. He stood and exited the room, soon returning with a towel running through his long, shaggy hair. "You still awake bud?"

"Yeah," Cuilén's sleepy voice said from his position on the bed. "Read to me?"

"Okay buddy," Gwaine grabbed the book: Tom Sawyer, of the ledge and began to read the next chapter. Before long, his own voice became sleeping and he soon slumped against the wall on the other side of the bed.

"Gwaine?" Cuilén asked, looking over at his snoring cousin. "You asleep?"

When he received no answer he smiled and gently pulled his blanket up and snuggled against his cousin. He laid his head down on Gwaine's stomach and slowly fell asleep.

AN: There you guys go! I should be updating this almost every day as we have written a bunch and plan to write more! Reviews will help me update quicker! remember it may seem a bit slow but it gets really exciting I promise!


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Alright guys here is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it. No cutting yet, so if your reading and waiting for triggers... don't worry they will be in the front of the chapter. Oh and unless stated otherwise this series is written with FanOfRandomThings...

MMM

"What in the world? Gwaine! I told you not wake him up!"

Gwaine jerked awake to see Merlin standing in the doorway, a frown on his face and his hands on his hips.

"Huh? What d'you mean?" Gwaine rubbed his eyes sleepily and tried to sit up. When he was hindered he looked down to see Cuilén curled up on his lap, still sleeping.

"Oh, yeah, we were reading," He said calmly. "He woke up to us talking last night."

"Merlin? Don't be angry please!" Cuilén blinked his eyes open and slowly sat up. "It's a good morning! I don't have school today."

Merlin just threw his hands in the air and sighed.

"I'll go make breakfast," he muttered as he turned and walked out of the room. "Gwaine, you get out here. But good morning Cuilén! You can come out whenever you feel ready. I'm making your favorite, blueberry pancakes!"

"Okay Merls, I'm coming." Gwaine said as Cuilén beamed a smile at their cousin. He stood up and walked after Merlin. "What is it?"

"You need to let him sleep, Gwaine!" Merlin snapped, turning to his cousin after flipping a couple pancakes. "He's a growing boy and tiny enough as it is."

"He isn't that much smaller than you," Gwaine pointed out. "And I didn't keep him up that late, I fell asleep pretty much after we started to read."

"You fell asleep? Then if you were tired you should have just gone to bed," Merlin sighed. Finally, however, he handed Gwaine a plate of pancakes and told him to sit down. " _You're_ supposed to be raising him, you know, not me."

"And I am!" Gwaine spluttered, looking at his cousin confusedly. "I do take care of him... He is the reason I have the job I do, it pays well, and I get good tips to help put him through school and buy him stuff he wants and needs. And I would have gone to sleep if he hadn't have woken up and been frightened because you raised your voice last night."

"I… I know, sorry," Merlin sighed. "Enjoy your pancakes, here's some butter. I'm going to make sure he's okay, alright? Then I have a class in a bit which I gotta run to. I'll be back from class before you leave. Now I'll bring him out, okay? Have you ever told him what you do?"

"It's okay, thank you for breakfast." Gwaine smiled at his cousin. "And I'll be home today and well as Friday. I... I haven't exactly told him what I do."

"He's going to find out one day, Gwaine, do you want it to be hard? He is in high school. From the way you've raised the poor kid, he is… Naive. Here, I'm going in there," Merlin was about to leave when Gwaine stopped him.

"Merlin, I didn't tell you where I worked for a while, he goes to high school, he gets enough garbage there." Gwaine said softly, trying to explain to his younger cousin. "Kids in his school talk bad about people with jobs like mine, I don't want to subject him to that."

"Yeah, okay," Merlin sighed, understanding that much at least. "I'll go get him."

With that, Merlin stood up and entered the other boy's room a smile on his face.

"Want to come get some pancakes?" Merlin asked, holding out Cuilén's blue robe.

"Okay, is Gwaine still here?" Cuilén asked, reaching out to take his robe. "I want to see him."

"Yeah, he's got the day off! I think he took it off so you can spend the day together," Merlin smiled brightly. "But I gotta run to Uni or I'll be late. I'll see you this afternoon, okay?"

"Okay." Cuilén stood up and padded out the door with Merlin behind him.

Before he sat down, he turned and hugged his cousin. "Can we have pizza for dinner tonight? Since Gwaine is here? Pleeease?"

"Okay, vegetarian?" Merlin predicted as Cuilén had the same thing every time.

"Yeah, and stuffed meat for Gwaine." Cuilén said looking to his eldest cousin for confirmation before turning back to Merlin. "He likes that kind."

"Of course," Merlin smiled. "Run along, Cuilén. See you later."

With that, Merlin snatched his backpack from the other room and headed out the door.

"Good morning," Cuilén seated himself at the table.

"Hey buddy, you awake?" Gwaine asked reaching out to ruffle Cuilén's hair.

"Uh huh, Merlin says you're going to hang out with me today," Cuilén smiled brightly as he straightened his hair.

"Yup, what do you want to do?" Gwaine asked, taking the last bite of his pancakes.

"Well… Can we go to the zoo? I love seeing the animals, and there's a baby giraffe right now," Cuilén's eyes shone with anticipation. "May we?"

"Yes we may," Gwaine said as he stood up to put his plate in the dishwasher. "Why don't you finish up and go get dressed?"

"Okay!" Cuilén quickly finished up his meal and then bounced away into the other room, soon emerging in his usual blue shirt and jeans. "Are you ready? Are we… Are we going to walk?"

"Do you want to?" Gwaine asked. "It's only a short ways, we could take the bike."

"Merlin doesn't like it, we probably shouldn't," Cuilén shook his head.

"Oh well, do you want to?" Gwaine asked, referring to the motorcycle he owned.

"Well… No that's okay," Cuilén blushed, flustered. "Maybe another day."

"Okay, if you are sure." Gwaine said, nodding his head. "We can walk or you could bring your bicycle? The new one you got last year?"

"No, let's walk. It looks like a really nice day," Cuilén grinned,practically jumping up and down in place. "Let's go."

"Okay, let's go." Gwaine said, walking to the front door and opening it. "Come on then."

 **MMM**

Late in the afternoon, Gwaine and Cuilén re-entered the flat to find Merlin standing in the middle of the living room looking confused.

"Hey Merls, what's up?" Gwaine asked, raising an eyebrow at his cousin.

"There you are, I was wondering where you'd gotten off to," Merlin look relieved. "I didn't know where you went."

"We went to the zoo!" Cuilén said. "Don't be upset Merlin, I got to see the baby giraffe! And they had a baby tiger! They just got it! It was born a week ago and we got to watch them feed it and I got to pet a monkey!"

"Aw, that's nice," Merlin smiled. "I brought home pizza per request. We can watch tv and eat it, sound fun? I have Lord of the Rings for us, the first one. You like that one, right? It's not too scary?"

"I like two of them," Cuilén said. "We could watch all of them! Like today and Friday."

"I have a test, remember? But… Okay, fine, let's get started!"

The three sat down to watch _Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring_ , Cuilén's eyes bright through the whole first movie, only one part of the movie causing him to hide in his cousins' arms.

Later that night, Gwaine glanced over to see that both Merlin's and Cuilén's eyes had drifted shut. Merlin was snoring softly but Gwaine noticed that Cuilén gave a tiny whimper in his sleep.

Gwaine reached out and gently shook Cuilén. "Wake up buddy." He said softly.

"Wha?" Cuilén's eyes blinked open. "Did I fall asleep? I'm a little bit tired..."

"You okay?" Gwaine asked, concern filtering into his gaze. "What was wrong?"

"Oh, I just had a dream about... When I first came here and I didn't really know you yet, but now you're the best cousin ever. Thank you," Cuilén smiled warmly. "It's not good to be a young boy on your own."

"No, I'm glad I could help you." Gwaine smiled and hugged his youngest cousin.

"Me too, I'm going to bed now, okay?" Cuilén stood up. "Goodnight."

"I'll come in and say goodnight to you." Gwaine said standing up and being careful not to disturb Merlin.

Cuilén skittered into his room and snuggled under the covers, smiling up at Gwaine.

"G'night," Cuilén smiled. "See you tomorrow maybe."

"Cya tomorrow buddy." Gwaine kissed Cuilén's forehead and turned off the light, leaving the door open a crack before walking out to the living room.

"Merls," he whispered, sitting down on the couch once more.

"Huh? What?" Merlin woke up slowly, yawning. "Gwaine?"

"Hey, time to go to bed." Gwaine said gently.

"Oh, did you put Cuilén to bed yet?" Merlin stumbled to his feet.

"Yes I did," Gwaine said standing and reaching out to steady his cousin. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just sleepy. It was a long day. Goodnight, Gwaine," Merlin then smiled and trudged off to bed, leaving Gwaine to make his way back to his own room. Tomorrow would be another long day, and they'd all need their rest.

AN: more Cuilén, Dwaine and Merlin as a family! awww so cute! Mordred will show up soon don't worry for those of you who are reading for him... like i would be... remember reviews are food for the plot bunnies.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Next chapter guys! Mordred is in this one!

MMM

"Hello Gwaine, Goodbye Gwaine," Cuilén said as Gwaine rushed from the flat off to his job, and Cuilén got to work on his homework.

He watched out the window as the motorcycle disappeared and Gwaine left for another night of work at his restaurant.

Merlin was due home soon, Cuilén was supposed to work on his homework until Merlin came home. That was the deal, Gwaine stayed until Cuilén was home then left for work and Merlin would be home in an hour. Cuilén was used to that pattern, it had been the pattern for almost two years now.

Soon Merlin arrived and started to cook his and Cuilén's dinner while Cuilén finished his homework, then Cuilén watched _Up_ while Merlin worked on his schoolwork.

At ten o'clock, after a while of waiting up, Merlin told Cuilén he'd best head to bed, and then Merlin watched the door like a hawk, waiting until his older cousin once again returned safely home.

MMM

Gwaine, on the other hand, was just leaving the pub. He waved goodbye to the second shift bartender and hurried away into the cold night.

As he walked to where he had parked his motorcycle he made his way past alleyways and dead ends. He often took note of who was in the alleys, and paused when he came upon a new person.

A kid, who looked only a little older than Cuilén, was sitting huddled up in the alleyway. The boy had on a black t-shirt and worn, scuffed up jeans. He was shivering from the cold air blowing through the alley.

Gwaine frowned, he knew there were sometimes kids here, but this kid looked new. Hesitantly, Gwaine stooped forward, clearing his throat. This kid wasn't a regular, what if he was in trouble?

The kid's head snapped up and he looked at Gwaine. "What do you want?" He asked then looked worried. "Is this your area?"

"No I…Are you okay, kid? I haven't seen you around here before." Gwaine gave the kid a once over. He was bigger than Cuilén, but clearly still young, Gwaine would say 17 at most.

"I'm just fine," The kid snapped his eyes flashing with anger, as if he had been asked that too many times. "I don't need your help or anyone else's, I can take care of myself."

"Well… You're sure? Are you new around here? It's not a place for kids," Gwaine frowned reaching out to help the boy

"I'm fine," The boy backed away slightly from Gwaine. Just then his stomach grumbled and he curled up tighter, trying to force away the pains of hunger.

"You're hungry?" Gwaine asked, glancing around again. "You're sure you're not… Lost? Running away?"

"I'm... I'm fine. Go away," The boy turned away from Gwaine. "I can take care of myself."

"If you're sure," Gwaine nodded, the fatherly instinct from raising Cuilén pulled him to stay but instead he pulled back and headed down the road, a frown on his face. He was almost to where he'd parked his bike when he heard a loud crash and a shout from behind him. He turned to see the boy's arm caught in that of a police officer and the other arm holding bread and an apple. The kid struggled to get away, but the officer shook his head and held on tighter.

Gwaine frowned and walked over to the officer. "Hey!" He called as he walked up. "What happened?"

"I'm Officer Pendragon and this boy here has stolen from the store, move along so I can carry on with my duty," the blonde man gave Gwaine a dark glare.

"What did he take?" Gwaine asked, looking at the boy who was curling in on himself, clearly expecting the worst sort of punishment.

"What does it matter?" the officer asked, glaring at Gwaine. "Move along."

"It's just some bread and an apple is all," The kid's voice was loud, but Gwaine could hear fear somewhere in there.

"Will you let him go if it is paid for?" Gwaine asked curiously, reaching out his hand toward the kid. "He didn't mean any harm, and he didn't take something huge."

"Are you this boy's guardian?" Officer Pendragon frowned, looking at Gwaine suspiciously.

Gwaine didn't hesitate for a second, knowing what choice to make. "Yes, I am."

"Then you'd best keep a better eye on him and get him out of this part of town Mr…" The officer hesitated, waiting for a name.

"Finnegan, Gwaine Finnegan." Gwaine said, reaching out to grab ahold of the boy's arm. "How much does he owe the store?"

"Eight dollars," Officer Pendragon replied. "And the boy's name?"

Gwaine looked down at the boy while he handed the officer the money. "Tell him your name, kid."

"Mordred," Mordred's voice was soft, obviously not wanting to risk anymore trouble.

"Well, Mr. Finnegan, keep a better eye on him. And you, Mordred, had better shape up or you won't like where you're headed," Officer Pendragon took the money. "And Mr. Finnegan, where might I find you?"

Gwaine gave the officer his home address and reached out to steer Mordred away toward his bike. "Come on kid." He sternly said.

Mordred followed until the officer was out of sight and then he twisted away from Gwaine.

"Why'd you do that?" Mordred growled softly as he backed up.

"I just wanted to help." Gwaine said, turning and trying to look non threatening. "If you come with me you can have a room at the home I told the officer about."

"No, I can take care of myself. Stay away from me," Mordred stumbled as he tried to walk away. "Leave me alone."

"Kid, Mordred, I'm just trying to help. You obviously need some kind of help, I want to give you that." Gwaine said, reaching out toward the boy. "Please let me help you."

"I don't need you, I don't need help, I don't need that. Just stay away from me," With that Mordred turned away and began stomping down the street, away from Gwaine.

"Please, let me help you." Gwaine said. "At least let me give you my address, you can come if you want, we have a spare room available."

"I already heard your address," Mordred pointed out in a harsh voice. "I don't need to hear it again. Goodbye."

"Here," Gwaine held out the food and a few dollars. "Take this, you'll need it."

"Well... Thanks," Mordred snatched the food and then ran away down an alleyway and disappeared.

Gwaine shook his head and walked back to his motorcycle. He arrived home two minutes later just in time for a roll of thunder to sound and rain begin to pour down. Gwaine shut the door quickly and saw Merlin passed out, head on the table, buried in his book. Gwaine smiled and gently roused the younger man.

"Oh, you're home," Merlin yawned, his eyes squeezed tight. "What time is it?"

"A little after one thirty in the morning, sorry I'm late." Gwaine said softly as he walked to the cupboard and rooted around for something to eat.

"Oh, that's okay," Merlin yawned again, and then, after a few minutes of watching Gwaine eat, he yawned a third time.

"Maybe I'll head off to bed, I'm pretty tired..." Then he paused and looked more awake.

"Was that the door?" He asked quizzically.

"Okay, go to sleep..." Gwaine trailed off as he also heard the gentle knocking on the door. "I'll go see." He said as he stood up, hoping it was the boy he had met earlier.

He walked to the door and opened it to find Mordred standing there, arms around himself and shivering. "Mordred, are you okay?"

"G... Gwaine? So... This is it? It's... Just a house, I'm c-cold." The young boy looked inside, wrapping his arms more tightly around himself.

"Who's that?" Merlin approached the door sleepily as Gwaine let the boy inside. "Mordred? Who's that?"

"Can you get me a towel please Merlin." Gwaine asked instead of answering and instantly Merlin was more awake, Gwaine didn't often call him by his full name but instead his more common nickname Merls.

Merlin frowned but hurried toward the bathroom and returned with a towel which he handed to Gwaine. Merlin eyed Mordred uneasily again.

"Where are you from, Mordred? Gwaine who is he?" Merlin asked quietly. "Is he alright?"

Gwaine ushered the young boy into the kitchen after handing him the towel. "Here you go kid, dry off. Are you okay?"

"I..." Mordred hesitated. "I don't understand... It's... Safe? Why do you want to help me?" He asked in a small confused voice.

"Gwaine," Merlin suddenly commanded, pulling Gwaine away. "Who is this kid and what is he doing here?"

"His name is Mordred, I met him tonight when I payed for some food for him." Gwaine said. "He needs a place to stay Merls, can I tell you in a minute please?"

"You what? Sometimes I can't believe I'm younger than you! You can't invite some random kid here, especially from that part of town! Who knows who he is?"

"Merlin, he is a good kid, I can tell. He just needs some help and I offered it." Gwaine started to walk back towards the kitchen before turning back. "Didn't you hear him? He didn't even know if this was safe, he doesn't understand... I want to help him."

"How can you tell he's a good kid?" Merlin glanced over at the shivering boy before heaving a sigh. "Fine, he does look to be in trouble... Ask him about himself. We should know about him, at least a bit, don't you think? Maybe we should call the police? What if he's lost?"

"No, bad idea. I don't think he needs any more police action tonight." Gwaine said before walking out of the hall and back into the kitchen.

"More?" Merlin hissed after him. When he got no reply he scurried out to stand beside Gwaine.

"Who are you and where are you from?" Merlin spoke up quickly. "Do you need help? Why?"

"Merlin." Gwaine said, "You can question him later, let's get him some dry clothes and something to eat and drink. You hungry or thirsty Mordred?"

"I'm fine," Mordred mumbled. "Maybe I should just go..."

"No, don't listen to Merls, he is tired." Gwaine said, stopping the boy from standing up. "Are you sure you don't want something to eat?"

Mordred suddenly cast a panicked look at the door and then a slightly frightened glare at Gwaine.

"I'm fine," he said more firmly.

"Okay," Gwaine stepped back a bit. "Well, there is a room down the hall you can use, it's the farthest door on the right, I'm right across the hall from you and Merlin is next to you. Don't go in the first room though, that is our younger cousin's room."

"Gwaine!" Merlin hissed. "Listen, if you're going to stay here, first tell me why you were on the street and what police interaction happened tonight. How old are you, also?"

"I... I don't have anywhere else to stay, the street was the best place." Mordred stammered. "I, I just w-wanted s-some food."

Gwaine looked up at Merlin warningly. "Merls..." He said.

"Your age?" Merlin asked, more softly.

Mordred shook his head and turned away from Merlin while Gwaine stood up and looked at Merlin. "He isn't much older then Cuilén... Leave him alone would you?"

"Gwaine, he's a stranger," Merlin hissed. "It's not just you living alone here, remember? You need to look after Cuilén too. You have to keep your cousin safe, and the way to do that in not let in people you don't know who have had police interactions!" Merlin's eyes were dark, however when he saw Mordred flinch, Merlin's eyes softened. "I'm sorry, but it's true. Look, just... Fine, we'll straighten this out in the morning but for tonight Mordred is sleeping out here with me, okay? I'll take that couch and Mordred, you take that one."

Gwaine frowned but nodded. "Fine, as long as Mordred is comfortable, I'll go grab you some sweats and a t-shirt. Okay?"

"Whatever," Mordred muttered.

"Here, take this blanket," Merlin snatched an afghan from the air chair and handed it to Mordred. "Go... Change I suppose, and then get to sleep, got it?"

"Yeah," Mordred nodded and grabbed the clothes Gwaine handed him before going into the bathroom to change.

"This is ridiculous, you don't know anything about him!" Merlin hissed. "I mean, helping him is nice but... What about Cuilén? We don't want him to have any sort of trouble."

Gwaine walked over to his cousin and gently embraced him. "Calm down Merls, it will be okay, okay? Everything will be alright. He won't hurt Cuilén."

"You'd better hope not," Merlin muttered. Mordred emerged then and he went over to sit on a couch. He glanced at Merlin and Gwaine before simply sitting there. Merlin went sit on the other couch where he watched Mordred's every move. Gwaine shook his head and retreated off to bed.

"Don't worry, I'll watch over you. You can sleep," Merlin muttered. "Get to bed."

Mordred nodded and lay down with his front facing Merlin, his body tense, as if he was ready to be kicked out into the rain.

Merlin sighed and stood up, grabbing his textbook. He flipped it open and began to read, it was going to be a long night...

AN: No! Merlin! you have a test tomorrow! don't stay up late... review please!


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Sorry! I couldn't post! Honest! My computer wouldn't let me! Hope you enjoy this!

MMM

 _Bleep bleep bleep_

Cuilén rose slowly, confused when he heard Merlin's alarm continually beeping. He went into the other room and turned it off, worried when his cousin wasn't there. Cuilén ran out to the front room, and froze.

On one couch lay an unusual boy who seemed tense even in sleep and on the other couch sat a dazed and bedraggled Merlin with bloodshot eyes that drifted up lazily to meet Cuilén's.

"G'morni'," Merlin murmured softly.

"Did you sleep at all? Don't you have test?" Cuilén asked. "And who is that?"

"My test!" Merlin's eyes suddenly shot open slightly and he tried to stand only to have his feet get wrapped in a blanket and for Merlin to fall flat on his face. He struggled weakly to stand before he fell still in the pile of blankets.

"Merlin, are you okay? I'm getting Gwaine." Cuilén turned to walk down the hall.

"Huh? I'm awake!" Merlin suddenly shot up. "Gwaine? Oh... Never mind... I... Really, gotta, now... You make food. Eggs, and coffee... Okay? I gotta... Clothes."

"Gwaine!" Cuilén called. "Come out here."

The other boy suddenly jerked from his sleep, clutching his blankets tightly as fear flitted across his face. His fear was quickly turned into a glare and he leaped to his feet defensively.

"No!" Merlin stumbled forward. "Stay... From Cui... Mo'd'ed..."

"Merlin, what are you talking about?" Gwaine asked, walking into the room. "Good morning Mordred. You sleep okay?"

"Gwaine, something's wrong with Merlin," Cuilén interrupted. "I don't think he slept at all last night!"

"Ooh, that's not good. Merls? Did you sleep?" Gwaine asked, walking over to his cousin. "You have... Three hours until your test, you should sleep for a couple of those."

"I sle.. Sle... 'Pt plean'y las' night," Merlin stumbled forward. "I don' even feel that tired anymore! I jus' need coffee... An... Uh... A throat thing..."

"Merlin, get some sleep, go lay down and I will bring you some tea for your throat." Gwaine said, reaching an arm around his cousin for support. "This is why you don't stay up all night."

"Bu' Mo'd'ed is dan'ge's!" Merlin said loudly. "I gotta save Cui'én!"

"He isn't going to do anything," Gwaine snapped, to the shock of Cuilén and Mordred, who had bristled at Merlin's comment. "Go to bed and sleep!"

Merlin stumbled off into the other room leaving Cuilén and Mordred to stare at each other.

"Who're you?" Cuilén asked softly. "Gwaine, why did you yell at Merlin? He was sick and hurt... We should help him but first... Who is this?"

"I should get out of here," Mordred muttered again.

"It's okay Cuilén, he is tired and that's how he will listen to me." Gwaine explained before turning to Mordred. "It's okay kid, Merlin will warm up to you eventually."

"Who are you?" Cuilén asked, holding a hand out. "My name's Cuilén."

"Okay... Sure." Mordred looked at Cuilén for a moment then back to Gwaine."Why are you guys so nice to me?"

Cuilén retracted his hand slowly and glanced at Gwaine who was shaking his head sadly.

"You looked to be in trouble, I want to help you, okay kid? Now, Cuilén, go cook up some breakfast, yeah?" Gwaine smiled as his cousin who slowly plodded away and then he sat on the sofa, motioning for Mordred to join him. "Now, kid, I just want to help you. Where did you come from? Did you lose your parents recently? Or just a bad home life? Don't worry, I just want to know how to help you, okay kid? It's okay, relax. You're safe here."

Mordred looked wary as he sat down. "I... I don't want to talk about it." He said.

"Look, I do have to take care of my little cousin, I just gotta know if someone's going to be looking for you? If you didn't like it there, I can get you help, I'm sure. Just tell me, kid," Gwaine tentatively reached forward as then began rubbing circles on Mordred's back.

Mordred tensed at first but soon relaxed at the touch. "I... I don't know really if anyone is looking for me, probably not, I lived in an orphanage on the southern tip of Whales and ran away a few months ago." He admitted quietly, as he tried to subtly move closer to Gwaine.

"You've been on your own for months?" Gwaine sounded surprised.

Mordred nodded and looked up at Gwaine. "Yeah, I guess, I ran away in the middle of summer, about four months ago..."

"Where were you headed?" Gwaine asked softly.

Mordred shrugged. "Away, I hated it there, I was the oldest and all the adults hated me anyway."

"I see," Gwaine nodded. "Were they bad to the younger ones as well?"

"No, they went to families pretty quickly, I was there for a few years before I ran away." Mordred said, opening up more now that he had gotten started.

"I'm sorry kid," Gwaine shook his head. "But that was a nasty neighborhood earlier. You'd best not go there. Wait, before you argue, how old are you, kid? How old when you got put in the orphanage?"

"Um... I'm sixteen now, I was... Nine when... When m-my d-dad left me." Mordred looked away at the last sentence, trying not to cry.

"I'm sure sorry kid," Gwaine shook his head. "My dad died when I was a kid. Did that happen or did he... Actually leave you?"

"I don't know..." Mordred's voice was strained from his efforts not to cry. "H-he was there and he le-left, then a f-few days later t-the

p-police took me t-to the orphanage."

"Hey, calm, it's okay," Gwaine placed a hand on Mordred's shoulder before suddenly he hugged him. "Is this okay?"

Mordred had stiffened but then he turned and started to sob into Gwaine's arms, clutching at the man's shirt as he did so. "W-why did he l-leave?" He asked Gwaine in a ragged voice.

"I don't know kid, I don't know why my dad had to pass when I was a kid either, it just happens, but I'm going to help you, okay? I'm going to fix this somehow, make it better. We're getting you through this," Gwaine said softly. A soft noise made him look up to see Cuilén standing there awkwardly.

Mordred hadn't noticed Cuilén and he was still a crying so Gwaine waved his cousin away, motioning that they would be there in a few moments. Before Cuilén left however Mordred glanced up and instantly pulled away from Gwaine and wiped furiously at his eyes.

"Um... Breakfast is ready," Cuilén said softly. "I have school soon... Um... I'll just wait over there... Mordred are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Mordred snapped before walking into the kitchen and sitting as far as he could from everyone else.

"Is he okay?" Cuilén asked softly. "Can I help?"

"It's okay Cuilén." Gwaine said softly. "Let's just let him alone for a while, you had better eat and get ready to catch your bus, okay?"

"Okay..." Cuilén trailed off. He swallowed his cereal and then grabbed his backpack. Before he left he smiled at Mordred. "I hope you feel better and have a good day. Be happier Mordred, okay?"

Mordred ignored the boy and sat in the corner until Gwaine approached him.

"You want anything to eat?" Gwaine asked. "We have cereal, or eggs... What do you want?"

"I don't eat breakfast," Mordred muttered. "You've already done plenty... You're sure you don't want something from me? I only have a little money..."

"No, I don't..." Gwaine stopped, thinking about what to say. "Okay, I guess I do want you to do something, I want you to accept our help, to tell us what is happening... Things like that... It pays me back for whatever I'm doing for you."

"I guess any help is better than none," Mordred shrugged. "I'll do what you tell me to, but I don't want breakfast."

"How about I make you a small fruit smoothie and we call it a done deal." Gwaine said. "You allergic to anything?"

"No," Mordred shook his head. "I... I haven't had fruit in years though... You have fruit?"

"Is that a no to the smoothie or a no to the allergies?" Gwaine asked. "Yes, we do have fruit."

"I... I used to love fruit, I'm not allergic. Back at home, my real home. We... We had fruit all the time but they didn't give me any at the orphanage after a while... Do you have strawberries? Or a banana? Or anything else? Do you have berries?"

"We have a lot of fruit kid, Merlin and Cuilén love the stuff, as do I, come have a look." Gwaine pulled out a few containers. "We have all kinds of fruit, pick what you want."

Mordred's eyes widened and he grabbed for the fruit wildly, snatching it in his hands and scrambling backwards, eyeing Gwaine warily as if he'd snatch the food away.

Gwaine just smiled and put the rest away, "Enjoy your breakfast kid, don't worry though I won't take it away. Come sit at the table though, okay?"

Mordred crept over and then he began scarfing down the food. He'd picked out so much that it took awhile, but Mordred certainly hadn't eaten slowly.

"Th... Thanks," Mordred said quietly.

"You're welcome kid." Gwaine said, moving to sit down. "Now, allergies? To anything? Any little thing...?"

"Crab," Mordred said after a moment. "I was allergic to crab one time, but... That was a long time ago..."

"It's better to be safe then sorry." Gwaine said. "I know we eat crab sometimes but we will have something else for you, okay? And I'm sure Merlin will actually want to set you up with a doctor's appointment sometime if you're staying."

"I... I don't stay anywhere," Mordred shook his head. "I'll be moving on soon, I'm sure. I always move on."

"Well, we can still get you checked out, okay?" Gwaine said gently. "If you've been on your own for almost four months then you really should be checked out. And we would like it if you stayed."

"Merlin wouldn't," Mordred muttered.

"At least stay for a few days?" Gwaine asked. "You caught him at a bad time... I promise. You will see."

"I guess," Mordred sighed. "I don't think he likes me much. He wouldn't sleep last night."

"I know, but he will warm up to you," Gwaine reassured Mordred. "Anyway, I'm gonna go wake him up and I'll be back in a minute."

Gwaine stood up and walked to Merlin's room. "Merls!" He called as he walked into the room. "Get up, or you will be late for your test."

"Test!" Merlin moaned, rolling over and dropping on the floor with a **bang**. He leaped to his feet, clutching his head, and then nodded. "Right! Test... Coffee?"

"Yup, and Merls?" Gwaine said as he walked out. "Be a little nicer to Mordred then you were this morning."

Merlin moaned and grumbled from the other room as he tugged his sneakers over his rumbled socks and stumbled out to the kitchen. He glared silently at Mordred as he took his coffee cup and drank it in one swig.

"Tha's better," Merlin murmured. "Gwaine... Could you possibly drive me to class?"

"Sure, Mordred I'll be back in a few minutes okay?" Gwaine said.

"You can't leave him here!" Merlin gasped. "He comes too... And I sleep more. G'night... No wait! Test! I gotta stay awake!"

"Fine... Mordred, come on, we have to drop Merlin off at Uni, then we can stop and get you some clothes and a backpack on the way home." Gwaine said.

"Gwaine!" Merlin hissed again. "A backpack? Clothes?"

"Yes Merlin." Gwaine said. "With my money... That I make... And you don't... Deal with it."

Merlin recoiled as if he'd been slapped in the face, though he did look more awake now.

"I... Fine, yeah, okay," Merlin nodded slowly, licking his lips and blinking hard. "Fine. Maybe I'll just walk, it's not that far. You should probably get going and buy that stuff..."

"Merlin..." Gwaine said softly, walking to his cousin. "We will drive you, get your stuff okay? I'm sorry I snapped, I shouldn't have." He tried to look his cousin in the eyes.

"No, I get it, it's fine," Merlin averted his eyes. "Don't worry about it. I'll just get my pack and... It's okay, I'll take the bike. Maybe it'll wake me up?"

"Merls." Gwaine leaned in and grabbed his cousin's arms. "I'm sorry, take the car okay? You hate the bike..."

"I... It'd be nice if you drove me just... Don't forget to pick me up, okay? You know what time?"

"Not exactly, what time you done?" Gwaine asked.

"I'm always done at one on Fridays, I only have one class, remember?" Merlin asked hopefully.

"I don't keep track of everything Merls, I'm sorry." Gwaine said. "Let's go so you aren't late, okay?"

"Okay," Merlin bit his lip. He slipped out the door, munching on a bagel, and he then slid into the back seat of the car, staring out the window.

Gwaine looked worriedly at his cousin as he and Mordred slipped into to the car and resolved to talk to him later. They quickly drove toward Merlin's school where would Gwaine dropped him off.

"I'll pick you up at one," Gwaine promised. "Call or text me if I forget, okay? I'll do my best though."

Merlin nodded, biting his lip and closing his eyes to get a bit more rest. Soon they arrived and he slipped out.

"Please don't forget," he begged, and then Merlin turned and hurried into the building.

Gwaine watched him run inside and the looked to Mordred. "So, you ready to go shopping?"

"Why are we going shopping?" Mordred asked.

"You need some clothes, we are going to go to the thrift shop first, where we get half of our clothes then to get you a backpack."

"Why do I get a backpack?" Mordred questioned.

"If you leave you need to carry your stuff with you." Gwaine said. "I am making sure you are okay, if you decide not to stay. Oh and you will need some shoes as well, those are about to fall apart. What size do you wear?"

"I don't know, my... My dad knew... He bought these for me..."

"How long have you had those?" Gwaine asked looking at the almost falling apart shoes.

"About seven years, it's the last thing he bought for me. They don't fit, but they're what I have."

"Wow, that's a long time. And I understand the sentiment, but I think it's time for some new ones." Gwaine said. "Don't they hurt your feet? Do your toes hit the front?"

"Well, sort of," Mordred admitted. "Actually the sort of ball of my foot hits the front, my toes just... Curl back and so it's okay,"

"Alright," Gwaine reached behind him when they hit the parking lot of the first store. "These are Merlin's, why don't you try them on? See how well they fit..."

"I can't wear Merlin's!" Mordred shook his head.

"Why not? Just for a minute, I want to see what size you are." Gwaine said.

Mordred pulled off his shoes and pulled on Merlin's and this made his face light up.

"They... They're comfortable, my toes squish against the front! They don't have to bend back and everything!"

"Alright..." Gwaine smiled and reached out for a second. "What size are they?"

"No!" Mordred scrambled back. "They're better, don't take them!"

"You can wear them for now but they are Merlin's," Gwaine explained. "I just need to know the size, okay?"

Mordred slowly handed Gwaine a shoe and Gwaine nodded, handing it back. Mordred and Gwaine then exited the car toward the store. They entered the shoe stores and Gwaine smiled at the man at the desk and asked for a size and a half bigger than Merlin's.

"Alright," the man said. "Over here are all our shoes in that size for men. Please look around and I will be here if you have any questions."

Gwaine thanked the man then grabbed a pair of socks from the bin and handed them to Mordred. "Put those on, and tell me what shoes you like, then you can try them on."

Mordred pointed to black converse and Gwaine handed him a pair.

"Why'd you ask for a size bigger than Merlin's?" Mordred asked as he began pulling a shoe on.

"Well, try them on. How do they feel?" Gwaine asked.

"I... They're like little kid shoes! I can wiggle my toes a little bit!" Mordred gasped. "Like the shoes I had when I was a kid!"

"Okay, where is your toe?" Gwaine asked. "Show me outside the shoe, like place your finger where you big toe is."

Mordred pointed to a spot near the end of the shoes and Gwaine nodded.

"Alright, here." Gwaine pulled a half size bigger down of the same shoe and told Mordred to try those on. Mordred did and he stared at the shoes in wonder.

"They... They're comfortable," he sounded genuinely shocked.

"That's the point." Gwaine said. "You are a size 9.5 okay? That's what size shoe you wear... Do you like those?"

"Yeah, they're really comfortable," Mordred nodded. "I didn't know adult shoes are meant to be."

"Yeah, they can be." Gwaine said. "Let's go pay for these okay? Take them off and put Merls' shoes back on until we get outside to the car okay?"

"Okay," Mordred agreed obediently. Soon they were outside again and Mordred pulled out the other sneakers.

"Thanks," he said more easily this time.

"You're welcome kid," Gwaine said, "Let's go get you some clothes now."

"What kind of clothes? Can I... Could I have a jacket?"

"We will see, okay?" Gwaine said. "But I'm sure we can work out getting you a jacket."

"I lost mine a couple weeks ago, it gets cold at nights," Mordred shivered.

"Yeah, I bet it does." Gwaine said. "Are you cold now?"

"Well..." Mordred hesitated. "Nah, I'm fine."

Gwaine frowned. "Oh, you don't mind if I turn the heat on though do you? I'm a bit chilly myself."

"Oh, but you have a coat," Mordred pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's still a bit chilly." Gwaine checked the temperature in the car, when he saw that it was 64 degrees he turned on the fans and turned it up to 79.

"That a little better?" He asked Mordred.

"It's nice," Mordred admitted. "It's what I'd imagine having a coat in a rainstorm would be like."

"Well, here we are." Gwaine said, parking and motioning to the store. "Let's go look okay? We have an couple hours left before we have to pick up Merlin."

Mordred followed Gwaine inside. He had a good time looking at the clothes, such a good time that they lost track of time and Mordred had just finished choosing the last clothes when Gwaine gasped.

"We have to get going." Gwaine said. "We have to pick up Merlin."

"Already? What time is it?"

"Um, we are late, but Merlin hasn't called me yet so let's go. Get your stuff them we will leave okay. I'll text Merlin and see where he is." Gwaine said before sending a quick text to Merlin.

 **We are on our way.**

"Alright, let's go." Gwaine said as they paid.

When they finally arrived, Gwaine was confused to find that Merlin didn't seem to be there, only a sort of blob sat on one of the steps, curled up under a red hoodie.

"Merlin?" Gwaine got out of the car. "Merls... We are here, you okay? I'm sorry we were late, I lost track of time."

Merlin glanced up with red rimmed eyes and shrugged, stalking toward the car.

"Don't worry about it," he mumbled. "Whatever."

"Merls..." Gwaine grabbed his cousin's arm. "Wait, we need to talk okay? I'm sorry, I know you're upset with me..."

"Why should I be? You're helping a kid. I should be happy. Aren't you glad I'm happy? I'm not complaining about you being late or anything. I thought you'd appreciate it," Merlin mumbled, trying to turn away.

"I do and I don't." Gwaine said, gently holding Merlin in place. "I know you are upset with me... Please talk to me though, yell, cry... Something. You are bottling up you emotions."

"I don't want to have a problem," Merlin said softly. "Just let me go, I want to go home."

"Okay, we will go home." Gwaine said gently. "Just... Don't not get mad at me okay? I messed up, I get that."

"I know, it's okay," Merlin nodded, turning his face away. "Now please, let me go."

"Alright," Gwaine said, letting his cousin go. "Let's go home."

Merlin nodded and hurried toward the car, slipping in the back seat where he sniffles slightly, turning to face the other way and wipe once or twice at his cheeks.

Gwaine kept an eye on his cousin the the mirror but didn't say anything and quickly drove them home.

AN: Okay folks! Sorry again that this was up so late! Sad Mordred! Sad Merlin! What do you think is wrong? Please Review! Love you guys!


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Here you guys go! Another chapter! Hope you enjoy!

When they arrived Merlin went straight to his room and Gwaine helped Mordred grab the clothes and stuff they had bought for him.

"Why don't you go out your stuff away?" Gwaine suggested. "I'm going to go talk to Merlin."

After Mordred scampered off Gwaine knocked on Merlin's door. "Merls?" Can I come in?"

"No," came Merlin's husky voice. "Please go away."

"Merlin..." Gwaine said, "Please, let me in."

"Doesn't Mordred need help?" Merlin's soft voice was filled with tears.

"He is all good for now," Gwaine replied. "I want to talk to you and make sure you don't need help. Please can I come in?"

"Only thing you can do for me now is..." Merlin sniffled. "F... Find me a job at that bar place... At least it's a job..."

"Merls, you do enough with collage." Gwaine said. "The bar pays good money to me, I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier, can you open the door and we can talk?"

"I... I won't be busy, don't worry," Merlin sniffled.

"Merlin, what happened?" Gwaine asked, suddenly really worried. "Merls, let me in! What happened?"

"Just... Just... Just... I will need a job, that's all. I... I gotta support my mum, Cuilén, whoever else and... I thought I knew how I'd do that but I was wrong so... I... I need a job, that's all."

"Merls, it's okay, I get that you want to help and such okay, but... You are still in college." Gwaine pointed out, testing the door handle and was happy to find it open but not opening it yet.

"But see that's where you're wrong!" Merlin suddenly let out a sob. "See you're wrong because... That was my most important class and... That was the practical and... And... I... I thought college would work, but I was wrong, okay? Just like always, I was wrong and... I'm not in college, or I won't be. Not now, not after that."

At that statement Gwaine realized what had happened and he opened the door. "Merls..." He said, walking over after shutting the door. "You didn't pass the test did you?"

"I told you to go away," Merlin sniffled, turning away from Gwaine and curling in a ball.

Gwaine didn't say anything, instead he sat down and began to gently massage Merlin's back and shoulders. "I'm so sorry Merls." He said softly. Merlin just shook his head and leaned against Gwaine, sobbing as he curled into his arms.

"I just..." Merlin sobbed. "I studied all week and... I just... I've been studying... I just thought I'd pass. I thought I'd make it. I... Oh Gwaine!"

"Shhh," Gwaine hushed his cousin and held him, gently rubbing his back. "It will be okay."

"No it won't! You know since my dad passed away I've wanted to be a doctor. I… I never wanted… But I can't be a doctor now, I guess so… Maybe I'll come with you when you go next time, try to get a job. Do… Do you work tonight?" Merlin pulled away, blinking his soggy, clumpy lashes up at Gwaine and sniffling again.

"No, I've got tonight off." Gwaine said. "And I promise, things will work out. Let's just relax tonight and try not to worry about anything, how does that sound?"

"I can't not worry but… I'll do my best," Merlin looked away. "Are we still watching Lord of the Rings tonight?"

"I don't know, Mordred is here still. Probably though we can watch it."

"Oh…" Merlin trailed off, scooting away to curl in the corner and look away from Gwaine. "Okay. I'd rather be alone now, can you please leave?"

Gwaine looked confused. "What's wrong Merls? What do you have against Mordred?"

"He's a stranger, that's all. How do we know we can trust him and besides… If is wasn't for him I might not have failed my test!" Merlin cried. "I just wanted to look out for my family and… Oh just go away, please? Go take care of Mordred or whatever it is. I failed now, there's no going back, just get out of my room!"

"Alright, but Merls, I told you to sleep, you didn't have to stay up all night." Gwaine said gently as he stood up. "I'll bring you something to eat later, when Cuilén gets home."

"I'm not hungry," Merlin muttered. "Give it to Mordred."

Gwaine didn't reply but instead he smiled softly at Merlin and walked outside, closing the door. When he turned around he almost knocked over Mordred. "Hey there kid, what's up?"

"What happened?" Mordred cast a look at the door. "He's mad at me again."

"Let's just leave Merls alone for a while." Gwaine said gently laying an arm around Mordred's shoulders. "He didn't do well on his test, which was his own fault for staying up all night. Are you hungry kid?"

"I guess," Mordred shrugged. "Why's he care, it's just a test. I always failed mine."

"Well, to Merlin this was a pretty big one." Gwaine said. "I think it was a deciding factor on whether or not he passed his class. How long were you in school for?"

"I graduated when I turned 16," Mordred shrugged. "The orphanage wanted me around to do chores, school got in the way of that."

"Ah okay." Gwaine nodded. "What about college? Didn't you ever want to go to college?"

"Who goes to college?" Mordred huffed. "It's not like I had the money for that!"

"If you did have the money, would you want to?" Gwaine asked. "It's okay if you don't, I didn't go."

"I don't know what I'd do there. What's Merlin do anyway? Why's he go to college?"

"He wanted to be a doctor." Gwaine said. "What do you like doing?"

"I don't know, mostly I just cleaned for the orphanage," Mordred glanced at the ground. "And sometimes I helped the younger kids or whatever they made me do until I left. I don't care what I do as long as I don't go back there."

"Hopefully you won't have to." Gwaine said. "I would like it if you stayed here, with us."

"We'll see," Mordred shrugged non-comitantly. "I think someone is at the door."

Gwaine walked to the door and opened it. "Hello officer." He said, smiling at Officer Pendragon who was standing on their porch.

"Hello, just coming to check up on things. Is Mordred here?" the officer asked.

"Yeah, he is." Gwaine turned. "Mordred." He said to the boy, "Come here."

Mordred walked up to the door and looked out from behind Gwaine. "Hello." He said.

"Hello, I'm going to talk to you for a moment, alright," the officer spoke. "Alone. Excuse us, Mr. Finnegan. Now, Mordred, everything is alright?"

"Yeah, everything is fine." Mordred said.

"Gwaine is taking care of you?" the officer questioned.

"Yeah," Mordred nodded.

"Okay, I'm at the station down near where I first saw you, don't hesitate to drop by, alright Mordred?" Officer Pendragon studied Mordred carefully.

"Alright." Mordred said. "Can I go back inside now?"

"Yes, good day Mordred," Officer Pendragon nodded. He turned to walk away just as Cuilén approached, and he nodded to the boy, who smiled at him.

"Hello," Cuilén looked worried. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Officer Pendragon smiled. "Just checking up on Mordred."

"Oh, okay," Cuilén nodded. "Good afternoon. Hello Gwaine! How was shopping?"

"Shopping was good." Gwaine said. "What do you want for dinner tonight?"

"Um… How about pasta?" Cuilén hesitated before his face turned dark. "Gwaine what happened? Something is wrong, something happened. Where's Merlin?"

"Listen buddy, Merlin didn't do well on his test, he is upset." Gwaine said softly. "Why don't you go sit with him? He is in his room."

"Okay," Cuilén nodded slowly. He crept toward Merlin's room and pushed the door open.

"Go 'way, Gwaine," Merlin's voice was heavy with tears.

"It's me." Cuilén whispered, stopping his walk over to sit down next to Merlin. "I can go if you want."

"Oh," Merlin rubbed his cheeks and sat up, nodding to an empty place on the bed beside him. He rubbed his cheeks again and swallowed before talking. "How was school?"

"It was fine." Cuilén said. "I heard what happened, I'm sorry Merlin." He reached out to hug his cousin, his eyes filling with tears for his cousin.

"It… It can't be changed now," Merlin looked away. "I… I didn't pass, that's all. I just…. I'll just get a job or something, somewhere, it'll be okay. Don't be sad, okay Cuilén? Here, don't be sad. I… I should probably go work on dinner, shouldn't I? Want to help me tonight? I don't have anything to study for anymore."

"Yeah, I'll come help you." Cuilén said. "Can we have pasta? Gwaine said we maybe could. I wonder if Mordred won't like it, or if he is allergic to anything like I am to peanuts..."

"We can ask," Merlin nodded, staggering to his feet and wrapping an arm around his cousin. "Come on, Cui, let's make dinner."

"We don't have to right now, I just got home." Cuilén said. "Besides you're still not better."

"I'll be okay," Merlin shook his head. He then lead Cuilén to the kitchen where Gwaine was laughing with Mordred. When Merlin entered, Mordred cast a dark look his way that made the other boy recoil before glaring right back.

"Come on you two." Gwaine said. "Merls, be nice."

Merlin opened his mouth to say something but instead closed it, sniffled, and retreated to the cupboard.

"Gwaine can I talk to you?" Cuilén asked, and the both of them left the room.

Mordred looked over at Merlin who was starting to cook the pasta. "What are you doing?" He asked a bit harshly.

"Cooking, what does it look like," Merlin muttered, his eyes downcast.

"Did Gwaine tell you I can't eat crab?" Mordred asked. "Cause I can't."

"Oh? I'll keep that in mind," Merlin murmured, still not looking up. "Too bad, Cuilén likes crab."

"You guys can still eat it," Mordred said suddenly, not wanting to deprive Cuilén of that food. "As long as I have something else to eat... I'm used to it."

"I'm sure Gwaine would make sure of it," Merlin replied. "And we probably won't have it for a while anyway. Wouldn't want you to get sick, would we?"

"Well, I know Gwaine wouldn't want me sick..." Mordred mumbled. "You, I'm not sure about."

"I wanted to be a doctor, I didn't want anyone sick," Merlin growled. "But you made sure I couldn't be doctor... Look, sorry, I'm just... That test was important to me, college was important to me, surely you understand that!"

"You could have slept! I wasn't going to do anything, I'm sorry I somehow ruined your life!" Mordred cried. "Gwaine was the first person who was nice to me in years, s-since my father left... I just wanted to be happy!"

"Yeah? Well you happy? Cause it you are then at least that's one of us! And I flunked my most important class! It's over! That pretty much is the end of the life I've planned since I was a kid!"

"No, I'm not, not exactly." Mordred whimpered before turning away and muttering to himself in an audible tone. "They were right, I mess up everything... No one will ever want me." Before starting to sob quietly into his arms.

"Hey..." Merlin stepped forward slowly. "Hey, I... I didn't mean... I'm sorry."

"Stay away from me!" Mordred cried loudly, pushing himself into a corner. "I know it's true, every time a family takes me I mess it up, I was hoping I could make this one work... You guys are really nice, but... I messed up, again. Now you guys want me to leave and I will, I'll get out if you want me too. I'm sorry I messed up..." Mordred started to sob again, his breathing speeding up.

"No I... I'm sorry I..."

"Merlin!" Gwaine burst in. "What did you do?"

"No I... I'm sorry I didn't mean..." Merlin backed up, glancing around with tears in his eyes.

"I... messed up..." Mordred could hardly talk as he was starting to hyperventilate. "I'm... Sorry..."

"Merlin what did you do?!" Gwaine hissed pushing Merlin out of the way and hurrying over to Mordred. "Kid, calm down! It's okay, it's all okay. Look, we'll fix whatever it is, okay? Shh, sit down kid, it'll be okay. I promise, it'll all be okay."

"It won't... I messed up... I can't do anything right." Mordred cried hysterically still breathing raggedly.

"Really, it's okay, calm down Mordred. If anything this is Merlin's fault! He shouldn't have yelled! Mordred just sit down, here." Gwaine tried to hug Mordred and again rub circled on his back.

"It's always my fault." Mordred whimpered. "Every time."

"No, no it's not. This is on Merlin, okay Mordred? Here, just let it out, shh... You'll be okay, just hug me kid. You're safe, you're okay."

There was a sudden click and Cuilén glanced up. Merlin was gone!

AN: Awww... Poor Merlin! What will happen to him? Tune in tomorrow around 2pm to find out what happens... and review please!


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Hey guys sorry this is up late! i soon meant to post at 2;00 today but alas that didn't happen. hope you enjoy this. And do you like my new name?

"Gwaine..." He said, turning to his cousin. "Merlin left! He's leaving, why did you push him?"

Gwaine looked up from where Mordred was now sobbing in his arms. "He will come back, I have to take care of Mordred then I will go after Merlin."

Cuilén shook his head and turned away, disappearing quietly to his room. Gwaine then turned back to Mordred.

"Kid," he spoke softly. "You'll be okay, okay? Do you need something? Please stop crying."

Mordred shook his head and started to pull away. "I'm fine, I'll just grab my stuff and leave... I know you want me to."

"No, never kid, I don't want you to leave! I'm going to help you, okay? I'm going to give you a family, okay? You don't have run away anymore, you're safe here, I promise!" Gwaine hugged Mordred close.

"But... Merlin..." Mordred said, sounding confused. "He hates me.l

.."

"I'm not Merlin," Gwaine shook his head. "I could not hate you, and besides...Merlin's going through a lot right now. He'll shape up, you'll see."

"I don't want to mess things up any more." Mordred whimpered. "I already did... Now you... You don't want me anymore. You may say you do but you don't..."

"No, I do, honest. You haven't messed it up, Merlin just... He... He did this to himself, you're not to blame, not at all, okay kid? Please, don't leave. You're safe here, I'll take care of you, I promise."

"I... I never w-want to leave..." Mordred said slowly, looking up at Gwaine. "But, nobody has ever wanted me to stay before..."

"Well I do," Gwaine promised. "I never want you to leave. Now, I'm going to make dinner, okay?"

"Okay, can... Can I go lay down?" Mordred asked. "I'm tired..."

"Of course. Oh, there's the phone, I'd better get it," Gwaine hurried over. He frowned darkly and began to argue, however after a moment he hung up, his face turned even darker.

"They want me to work tonight. I've got to if I want to keep my job," Gwaine frowned.

"You should go..." Mordred said, turning to look at Gwaine. "I'm sure we will be fine."

"Mordred, promise me you'll keep Cuilén safe. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to my little cousin," Gwaine glanced down the hall.

"I will, I won't do anything." Mordred said. "We won't leave the house, won't answer the door, same stuff I did at the orphanage. I'll make sure he eats something too. You should go say goodbye."

"Yeah, I will. There's pizza in the fridge by the way, only a couple pieces but it's something," Gwaine then headed down the hall and knocked softly on Cuilén's door. "Buddy? Open up, I want to hug you goodbye. I got called, gotta go in to work."

"What about Merlin?" Cuilén asked as he opened the door, tears drying on his cheeks. "Aren't you going to find him?"

"I can't, if I don't go now I'll lose my job.

He can take care of him, okay? Now hug me goodbye, yeah? Come here buddy. Stay safe, Mordred'll take care of you."

"Okay, I will. Merlin won't be happy if he gets home and me and Mordred are alone." Cuilén pointed out as he hugged Gwaine.

"Hey, Merlin will have to deal with me first , okay? Be safe buddy. And eat dinner," Gwaine hugged him one last time and then headed out the door.

Cuilén watched as Gwaine headed down to his bike before he walked into the kitchen. "So..." He looked at Mordred. "What about dinner?"

"Right, yeah dinner," Mordred reached in the refrigerator and pulled out the pizza, popping it in the microwave. "You okay?"

"Yeah... I guess." Cuilén said. "I don't like it when people are upset."

"Oh… Well yeah people get upset, get used to it," Mordred shrugged. "Here, pizza."

"Thank you." Cuilén took the slice Mordred handed him. "Do you want something to drink?" He stood up to look in the fridge. "We have stuff."

"I'm fine, let's just eat," Mordred shrugged. "Maybe water, I don't know. This is good food! I haven't had pizza in years…"

Cuilén turned to look at him. "You haven't? Maybe Gwaine will get it again soon, pizza is good. Do you want some apple juice? That's what I'm having..."

"Oh, okay," Mordred shrugged. "Yeah, it'd be nice if Gwaine got pizza again, if I… Yeah, it'd be nice."

Mordred and Cuilén then sat down to eat their dinner and were just finishing about an hour later when the phone rang.

"I wonder who that is…" Cuilén trailed off, staring at the phone.

Mordred walked over and picked up the phone. "Hello?" He asked.

"Gwaine! Gwaine the car broke down and my phone is almost dead so you've got to hurry! I was going to where you work and the car broke down and I was going to call help but I forgot my wallet at home and there's these people who look really suspicious everywhere… Gwaine get me out of here! Please! I'm sorry, I'm really sorry about everything earlier just please get me home! Please…"

Mordred pulled the phone away from his ear as a beeping signaled that the call had ended. "Um... Cuilén... What is Gwaine's cell number?"

"Um… I can look but he can't use it at work. He says he's not allowed to show it or that he has one or anything, why?" Cuilén asked.

"That was Merlin... He said the car broke down... He wanted Gwaine to come but looks like we might have to go..." Mordred said standing up to grab his jacket.

"Go where?" Cuilén asked, standing tentatively. "Are you sure we should leave the house?"

"Merlin said there were people around, and he is near where Gwaine works, it's not the best part of town." Mordred explained.

"Oh, do you know how to get there? I don't know the way…" Cuilén glanced away. "I… I'm not sure how to get to his restaurant."

"You mean the bar? I know, he found me there, not to far from it. We will figure it out, let's go, we can walk there... I did when I came to your house."

"Okay," Cuilén nodded slowly. Bar? Gwaine didn't work at a bar, he worked at a restaurant, but he didn't correct Mordred as that would be mean. Instead he grabbed a brown sweater and followed Mordred out the door. He trotted behind the older boy as the neighborhood he knew faded away into something that made him more uneasy. He spoke up softly, staying close to Mordred. "Is this the right way?"

"Yup, Gwaine works right over there." Mordred pointed down the street to a loud noisy bar that could be heard for a few blocks. "Merlin should be around here somewhere."

"I… I'm a little bit… This doesn't look right… Mordred, I'm frightened, this is a bad place… I'm not supposed to go in places like this," Cuilén shivered up against Mordred. "I... It's dangerous, I'm scared. This can't be where Gwaine works!"

Mordred wrapped an arm around Cuilén. "It's fine, nothing will hurt you, all we have to do is find Merlin. And yeah, Gwaine works there, you didn't know?"

"He... He said he worked in a restaurant, like fast food, a dinner or something. That's... That's a bad place! He told me to never go near places like that!" Cuilén shied backwards. "He said bad things happen in places like that and parts of town like this!"

"That is why we are here to find Merlin." Mordred said. "None of us are old enough to to go in there and get Gwaine but us being with Merlin will help the chances of something bad happening less. Now come on, we have to find him."


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Enjoy this chapter! This has about nine chapters total so around two maybe three more!

Cuilén trailed after Mordred, staying close and eyes darting around nervously. Mordred started to turn a corner when he suddenly stopped and pushed Cuilén to a halt. "Shh." He hissed. "I see Merlin but... I also see two others."

"They… Merlin's in trouble, we've got to save him!" Cuilén tried to lunge forward. "Let me go, please, I'm scared but I think Merlin is too! Please!"

"No, stay here for a minute. I'll get their attention." Mordred stepped out into the alley way.

"Hey!" He called, causing the two older boys to look at him. "What are you doing?"

"Stay out of this, kid," one of the two men growled, glancing once at him. "This is our territory."

"I don't care." Mordred said. "Leave him alone." He motioned to Merlin. "You can have your territory, but I want him."

"Yeah? You're a kid, you've got nothin' so stay back," the other man growled, stepping toward Mordred.

Mordred didn't back up, instead he stood where he was. "You can't intimidate me." He said. "Just give me my friend."

When the two men got closer Mordred pulled a long knife from his sleeve. "I said, give me my friend." He said, looking them in the eye.

"Fine kid, if it means so much to you," one man rolled his eyes slightly, eyeing the knife. "Got any money on you, though? Make it more worth our while."

"Only a couple dollars." Mordred said, showing them what he had. "That's it."

"Fine, hand them over kid," the man snatched the money away and then the two retreated from the alley, a backward glare aimed at Merlin. The young man was shaking violently, his breaths coming in gasps, and he backed away from Mordred, holding his hands in front of him.

"St.. Stay back! I knew you were no good! Stay away, please! I don't have any money, honest! Just leave me alone," Merlin was shaking so much he tripped and tumbled backwards, tears pooling in his wide eyes.

"Merlin!" Cuilén yelled as Mordred set his knife down on the ground. The youngest boy rushed to his older cousin. "You are okay!"

"Cuilén? What are you doing here?" Merlin cried, scrambling to his feet. "You can't be here! Did you come here with him? No! How dare you bring him here he… He can't be here! What was Gwaine thinking… You can't go places together and Cuilén can't be here! You have to… to get out of here!"

"Gwaine..." Mordred said. "Is at work... And since we can't get ahold of him and none of us can actually go in the bar, we came to get you. I'm not doing anything to Cuilén, so you needn't worry about that. My knife, I've had that since day one, it's legal, don't worry. I brought Cuilén cause Gwaine told me to look out for him and the best way I can do that is if he is with me."

"But… Cuilén didn't know…" Merlin whimpered. "Cuilén… you weren't supposed to know!'

"Well, now he does," Mordred said. "We should get home though, it's late, and, as you can see, not safe here."

"Merlin… Why didn't you tell me?" Cuilén spoke up quietly. "Didn't I have a right to know?"

"You're… You're our little cousin, I thought you could but Gwaine didn't want to tell you… I'm sorry you had to find out like this…" Merlin trailed off and Cuilén suddenly hugged him tightly, and then Merlin gave a hiss.

"Are you hurt?" Cuilén asked.

"Just… my side…" Merlin hissed again, trying to force a weak smile on his face.

"What happened?" Mordred asked, walking over to Merlin. "Cuilén, move for a second."

Cuilén frowned but he stepped out of the way, allowing Mordred to get closer. Merlin shied backwards uneasily which caused him to crumple with a whimper.

Mordred reached out to lift Merlin's shirt. "What did they do?"

"Nothing, it's nothing," Merlin stammered, gasping when Mordred probed his ribs.

"What happened?" Mordred asked, looking at the bruising along Merlin's side. "Well, it looks like you have a couple fractured ribs... What caused that? I need you to tell me what happened."

"Nothing! I just fell and then they... Sort of... Kicked me..." Merlin sent a worried glance at Cuilén.

"Alright. Well, I'd say we take you home but I don't think you can walk all that way," Mordred said. "Let's go get Gwaine somehow and he can get you home."

"I can walk," Merlin rolled his eyes, however when he stood and took a couple of steps, he gasped and held his side in pain.

"Don't grab at them." Mordred hissed."You're the doctor, didn't they tell you this? And walking on broken ribs hurts, believe me, I know..."

"You know? How would you know," Merlin gasped out. "And besides, how else am I getting home?"

"How is a story for another time, as for getting home... I saw Gwaine's bike that way, we could go wait for him or I could sneak into the bar, or get someone to get him for me." Mordred said, then pulled a bottle out of his jeans.

"Here," He dumped some advil tablets into Merlin's hand. "Take those, it will help with the pain."

"Why do you have those?" Merlin frowned. "Are they safe? And how do you plan to sneak into a bar?"

"They are from your medicine cabinet, you tell me if they are safe, and I have my ways." Mordred said. "And I won't sneak in at first, I'll ask if someone could get him for me."

"Well..." Merlin snatched an Advil and swallowed it down. "Fine, go find Gwaine. Cuilén, stay close, okay Cui? It's not safe here."

Cuilén nodded and Mordred pointed them in the direction on the bike then slipped off to the bar. When he reached the front he looked to the men standing at the door. "Hi, I'm looking for someone in there, his name is Gwaine? He is a bartender, could you get him for me please?" He asked.

"Fine," one man growled after surveying Mordred. A few minutes later Gwaine appeared, slight fear in his eyes.

"What're you doing here?" Gwaine asked. "Where's Cuilén?"

"He is with Merlin, they are at your bike." Mordred said. "Um, the car broke down I guess and yeah, Merlin is hurt and we need a ride home..."

"Cuilén is here?" Gwaine cried. "He can't come here! You shouldn't have brought him here!"

"Would you rather I stayed at home and let Merlin get mugged?" Mordred asked. "Besides, I can defend us, and I did."

"Wait... Merlin's here too?" Gwaine looked confused. "Wait what's going on exactly? Merlin got mugged? Wait... Did you say Merlin is injured?!"

"Merlin called the house and I answered and he asked you to come pick him up cause he was near your work and the car had broken down. He said he didn't like the people around, you know what exactly goes on to people who come into alley ways alone I came to help him. I brought Cuilén with me cause I didn't want to leave him alone and then I got Merlin and he was hurt... The two guys who were they had kicked him... And I told them to wait at your bike, which is relatively safe while I got you." Mordred explained. "Merlin can't walk home so he needs a ride and none of us have money."

Gwaine stared at Mordred in awe for a moment before he nodded slowly. "Yeah, uh, yeah... Look, it's late anyway, I'll tell my partner to cover for me and... Yeah... Why was Merlin here in the first place?!"

"I don't know, I didn't ask, he didn't really want to talk to me when I scared off the two men with my knife." Mordred muttered.

"Your what?" Gwaine's mouth dropped. "Well... I guess it's good you've got a knife, considering... Fine, give me a second."

Gwaine disappeared for a moment before coming out and following Mordred to his bike. Soon they arrived to find Merlin and Cuilén sitting there uneasily.

"I should call a tow truck for your car," was the first thing Gwaine said to Merlin before half yelling: "Since you brought it here! What were you thinking coming here?"

"I... I was g-going t-to... " Merlin stammered before lowering his head. "I... Didn't mean for any of this to happen... I'm- I'm sorry Gwaine!"

"Merlin..." Gwaine sighed and shook his head. "Now what's this about your ribs? Are you okay? Cuilén, are you hurt?"

"No." Cuilén said. "Mordred made me stay back."

"Good for him." Gwaine said, "Now, Merlin, your ribs?"

"It hurts Gwaine." Merlin said softly, trying not to breathe too deeply.

"Mordred said they're bruised? We should still have them checked out... Now, boys... We need to get you out of here before it gets darker but... My bike only takes two..."

"We walked here." Mordred said. "I can make sure he gets back safely. Merlin should be taken to the hospital."

"You make sure Cuilén gets back safely, you understand!" Gwaine commanded. "Don't let anything happen to my little cousin!"

"I haven't yet." Mordred said. "I'll get him back and then we will call you... On your cell?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Gwaine nodded. "Come on Merls, need help?"

Merlin held up his hand and let Gwaine pull him to his feet, before half collapsing on his cousin. Gwaine frowned and glanced at Merlin once before revving the bike and zooming away into the darkening night.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: next chapter! only one more chapter then thats the end to this story! but don't worry there is a sequel! hope you enjoy this!

"Aren't you going to complain about Mordred? Or did his saving you actually help anything?" Gwaine asked once they were out of earshot.

"He had a knife, Gwaine." Merlin said. "But he helped me."

"See?" Gwaine pointed out. "He can be a good kid, and he needs our help, okay? Merlin, I'm honestly really sorry about what happened earlier, I hope you can start to understand... And about college... If you can't get back in I'll find you a job, but a job somewhere else. I don't want you working there."

Merlin nodded as they drove into the hospital parking lot. "Okay, and yeah, I understand. If... If you want, he can stay with us."

"Really?" Gwaine turned and smiled at his cousin, slipping the helmet off Merlin's head. "You don't mind?"

"I don't mind as much, but Gwaine next time ask me before offering up our house? Please?" Merlin hissed as he started to walk inside. "Ouch, these really do hurt to walk on, Mordred was right."

"Mordred knew that? Why would he know?" Gwaine frowned as he held the door for Merlin. "He wasn't in medical school."

"I dunno, I don't think it's anything good though." Merlin said as he sat down in a chair. "That feels better."

"Here, I'll be right back," Gwaine hurried to tell the nurse what was wrong and in a moment they brought out a wheelchair for Merlin. They allowed Gwaine to follow behind until they got him into a room and a doctor checked his ribs. Merlin went in for X-rays and then was checked again.

"Bruised," the doctor hummed after a moment. "And one slightly cracked but not snapped."

"Alright, so just keep him lying down?" Gwaine asked, just as his cell phone rang. "Excuse me." He said before answering. "Hello?"

"We are back home." Gwaine smiled as he heard Mordred's voice.

"Alright, can you get Cuilén to bed please?" Gwaine asked. "If he doesn't want to sleep yet, he can read or something."

"He's really tired, he'll sleep," Mordred replied. "I'll see you tonight."

Mordred then hung up and Gwaine focussed his attention back on the doctor.

"Use ice," the doctor was telling Merlin. "And lay down a lot. Don't touch them and wear as light a shirt as possible to avoid friction. Lay on your back, and speak quietly. Do not move around a lot for at least a week, and avoid rapid movements for two."

"I'll make sure he does." Gwaine said, walking over and sitting down next to when Merlin was lying. "I'll get him home and make sure he does as instructed."

"First a friend of mine wishes to see him," the doctor smiled softly. "Mr Emrys, wait here."

A few moments later, Professor Gaius entered, and Merlin's mouth dropped.

"What are you doing here?" Merlin gasped. He almost sat up when he moaned and laid back again.

"Well, I'm here to talk to you about your education and apparently your ribs." Gaius said. "You didn't do very well with your test."

"That..." Merlin looked away, his eyes brimming again. He pushed the tears away shrilly and nodded. "Yeah I... I couldn't sleep the night before. I had to stay up for my family... But I'm not just making up excuses, I know I failed so... It's... Okay... I failed and... That's how it is I suppose... I just... I did study, I studied hard, but my family needed me."

"I admit, it wasn't like you to miss so many questions." Gaius said. "I know you know all the answers, so I have decided that you can retake the test. Once your ribs are healed then you can come back and take the test and work to catch up."

"Really?" Merlin gasped, his grin splitting his face. "Really? Honest?"

"I pulled a few strings with the University, you'll be given a second chance."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you professor Gaius, you won't regret this!" Merlin almost squealed with joy.

"Yes m'boy, I know I won't." Gaius said. "You are one of my most promising students, can't have all that talent go to waste."

"Thank you!" Merlin spoke again, his grin growing wider. "Thank you so much! This means so much to me! Did you hear that Gwaine? I get another try! I'm back in!"

"I heard." Gwaine smiled. "I'm proud of you, now let's get home, we need to get back to Cuilén and Mordred."

"Yeah, wait until Cuilén hears! He'll be really happy too! Thanks again, professor. I'll see you soon!" Merlin smiled brightly as Gwaine helped him to his feet and lead him out. Soon they were again on the bike, Merlin floating on cloud nine. "It's so great. Isn't it great? It's amazing! Gwaine, let's have a party!"

"You're on pain meds." Gwaine said. "We can party later."

"But it's so amazing! I'm back in college! I didn't flunk out, it's so great! I'm tired..." Merlin suddenly trailed off, slumping against Gwaine.

"Merls?" Gwaine asked. "Merls, you okay?"

"I'm good... I'm jus' tired now..." Merlin trailed off, his mind fuzzy from the medications the doctor had given him. "I think I'm going to sleep now."

"No, don't fall asleep yet, okay? Wait till we get home, it's only a couple minutes." Gwaine ordered.

"But I'm tired now!" Merlin complained. "Goodnight..."

Gwaine reached down and pinched his cousins wrist that was wrapped around his waist. "Don't fall asleep."

"Ouch!" Merlin cried. "That hurt! What'd you do that for?"

"Didn't want you to fall asleep, we are on the bike." Gwaine said as he drove down their street.

"Oh yeah, I think I forgot," Merlin blushed. Soon the bike pulled to a stop and Merlin slumped again.

"Merls, we have to get inside first," Gwaine said. "I will pinch you again,"

Merlin tried to scramble off the bike but he landed with a pained cry and he suddenly shook, tiny 'ouch's flying from his lips.

Gwaine shook his head and knelt down. "You okay? Don't make sudden movements okay? I'll carry you inside." He lifted his cousin carefully into his arms and walked inside the flat.

Once he was in he took Merlin to his bedroom and laid him down. "Do you need anything? Or do you just want to sleep?"

"I just want to sleep," Merlin murmured. "Goodnight."

"Night Merls." Gwaine murmured before walking to Cuilén's room.

Cuilén was sleeping as well, but as Gwaine was closing the door, Cuilén's small voice called him back.

"What happened?" Cuilén yawned.

"Merlin's fine, he has to rest for a while though. Where is Mordred?" Gwaine asked walking over to kiss Cuilén's forehead.

"He's..." Cuilén yawned. "He's in his room. He said he'd wait for you to come. He was worried about you and Merlin."

"Okay, well, we are fine. You get some sleep okay? Tomorrow is Saturday and I got a week off from my boss for family emergency. I'll see you in the morning." Gwaine turned and walked to the door closing it behind him and walking to Mordred's room.

"Hey kid, you still awake?" Gwaine asked, opening the door.

"Hello Gwaine," Mordred glanced up, his eyes tired. "How'd it go?"

"It's fine, his ribs are bruised, one is cracked slightly." Gwaine walked over and sat down on the bed. "And I wanted to say thank you for taking care of them."

"Of course, you took care of me," Mordred nodded. "And I always took care of the little ones at my old home."

"So, about that, I want to know the name of the orphanage you came from." Gwaine said seriously.

"Why?" Mordred became uneasy. "Why do you want to know?"

"Cause we are going to need to call them." Gwaine said.

"No please," Mordred shook his head. "I don't want to go back there, I never want to go back there! Gwaine I thought... I can't go back!"

AN: oh no! what happened to Dre? tune in next time to find out!


	9. Chapter 9

AN: well... this is it... the last chapter... of this story...BUT FEAR NOT! THERE IS A SEQUEL! It will be called Kid off the Streets!

"Tell me why you don't want to go back, what happened to you there?" Gwaine asked.

"W-well, I dunno, I didn't like it there." Mordred said.

"Why?" Gwaine pushed. "What happened there?"

"I don't want to talk about it..." Mordred said, closing his eyes against the memories. "It... It hurt!"

"Mordred, you can trust me. Please, tell me what they did to you. Tell me why it hurt, what hurt. Please, Dre."

"Th-they... I remember, when I first started there they were nice but once I turned 12 then it was my job to watch everyone else, the little ones never got punished, it was a-always my fault..." Mordred had tears running down his cheeks as he related the story.

"What would they do to you?" Gwaine asked softly. "Please explain."

"They would... Would hit me..." Mordred said slowly. "At first it was just a slap or two but then it went from their hands to whatever they had on them... Or the cane... I hated the cane, it hurt the worse..." Mordred looked at Gwaine with tears running down his cheeks. "They never did it to anyone else and if I screamed and cried they would hit me till I stopped."

Mordred cut off as he began to choke on his sobs.

"Aw, kid I... I'm so sorry..." Gwaine shook his head, pulled Mordred into a hug. "I'm so, so sorry. Just cry, it's okay, no one's here to think the worst. I'm sorry kid, it'll never be like that again."

"It will, when you send me back!" Mordred cried, leaning into Gwaine and crying. "That's why you were asking wasn't it?"

"No, you aren't going to go back." Gwaine said. "If you want to stay here permanently we need papers signed and all that."

"What?" Mordred pulled away. "What do you mean?"

"I think I might adopt you, kid, how's that sound?" Gwaine grinned widely.

"Do... Do you mean it?" Mordred asked, staring at Gwaine in shock.

"I wouldn't joke about a thing like that," Gwaine smiled. "Do you like the idea?"

Mordred nodded, his eyes wide. "Yeah, I... I want to stay here."

"Good, we'll call them in the morning. What's the name, kid?"

"Inglewood Children's Home." Mordred said.

"Okay, I'll call them tomorrow. Goodnight... Son," Gwaine beamed down at the boy.

"Night dad." Mordred sail with a smile on his face as he fell asleep.

MMM

Merlin woke up to the sound of happy laughter in the other room and he headed out there to find Cuilén, Gwaine, and Mordred playing a board game, Gwaine looking prouder than he had in many years.

"What's got you so excited?" Merlin smiled warmly at the three.

"Mordred," Gwaine said. "Will officially be part of the family as soon as I sign the papers."

"You mean...?" Merlin's eyes shone. "You've done it? Mordred... Adopted?"

"Soon will be." Gwaine said.

"That... That's wonderful!" Merlin found himself saying, and he meant it, genuinely. "Welcome to the family, Mordred."

Mordred smiled at Merlin. "Thanks." He said. "You aren't upset?"

"Well... It does seem a bit rushed but... No, I'm not upset. I'm happy to welcome you in. You'll be the fourth brother we've been thinking of."

"And guess what else?" Cuilén pipped up. "Gwaine didn't tell us but... He's been eyeing a small shop that's for sale near here for some time and guess what? He thinks he's going to open it as a deli with Mordred! He's been saving up money from his other job for it for months!"

"That's good!" Merlin looked at Gwaine. "You didn't tell me..."

"I had to wait and see if anyone else would buy it. The man who owns the space, though, said I can have it though, and I finally have enough to get started," Gwaine smiled at his cousin. "I've been picking up business techniques from the pub, and Mordred has a bit of cooking knowledge from his orphanage, plus I've got practice with finger food from the pub."

"That's so amazing." Merlin smiled brightly. "I think we should watch a movie later... Just to celebrate."

"Gwaine!" Cuilén asked. "Can we get pizza? Please? Mordred hasn't had it is a looong time. Please?"

"Sure," Gwaine nodded. "There's a place near here. We can go to Jo's, okay?" Gwaine smiled broadly. "Come on buddy, Merls, son."

Merlin and Cuilén whooped and rushed, in Cuilén's case, to get their coats. Mordred smiled at Gwaine before holding his coat up and simply saying. "Shotgun!" In a calm voice.

Gwaine grinned and glanced out the door to see what the car had been fixed and returned by the friend Gwaine had called last night. He threw an arm around Mordred's shoulder and the two went to wait for their fellow companions.

"You're a part of the family," Gwaine declared. "How do you like that?"

"I like that very much," Mordred admitted as Merlin and Cuilén entered the car, and then the four went off to have the first day of many as a new, whole family.

AN: I love eveyone who reviewed! Please give this chapter some love and hopefully the next story.


	10. AN!

Guys... Please give me some help on something please... on inkitt . com they are having a fanfiction contest... I have entered a story called Kid Rescued From The Streets by WarriorofCAmelot into the Fanfiction2 contest. Please, Please, Please go vote if you have enjoyed these threes stories of this series...


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